Chances are, if you're reading this, you should be recording. The author's personal opinion is that recording is a GOOD thing. There are several benefits to the recording process other than the finished product -- better musicianship, a chance to hear your songs without playing them, a chance to maximize your full potential as a band, a chance to make your music something more than it is so far.
Finally, it just feels good. It's validating: "Yes, I really AM a musician, not just some boob with a guitar."
If you just want something to practice against, don't go to a studio; it's too expensive for something you're only going to practice your wicked licks with. But if anyone else is going to listen to your music, it needs to be something that doesn't have room noise, airplanes flying over (Led Zeppelin's Black Country Woman notwithstanding), noise, and muddy drums.
If you haven't been to a studio, you may not be aware of the things that they can do with sound -- it's pretty amazing.
Deciding: This is where you pick a format (CD/Tape), a length (two-song demo, five-song EP, nine- to fourteen song project, twenty- to thirty- song double CD), songs, a studio, possibly a producer and/or engineer, and a duplicator.
Preparing: This is where you practice, over and over and over again. Then you get together your recording money, get your gear in shape, and book time. Then practice some more.
Recording: This is the time you actually spend in the soundproofed room, crooning, picking, slapping, shaking, and doing that thing you do. Compared with the time invested in everything else, it's woefully short. It's also the most fun.
Mixing: Once everything is tracked (put down on master tape), it needs to be prepared for mastering. Everything is made to sound just right, noise is subtracted, reverb is added, and everything ends up on a DAT.
Mastering: This is an optional (author's opinion: mandatory) step where engineers at the reproducer run your tape through the appropriate filter for the format (CD, vinyl, or tape). The dynamic range may be compressed or expanded, the whole mix is EQ'd, and everything ends up on another medium. This may be DAT or hard disk (for CD, vinyl, or tape), or 1/4" tape (for cassettes).
Reproducing: For CD's, they take the final master tape/disk and create a "glass master", the glass disc that is the mirror-image of your CD. This is used to press the plastic for the CD. Cassettes are reproduced by bin-loop, where they take the 1/4" master tape, make several copies, string them together, and use that to feed a cassette-duplication machine. I'm not sure how vinyl is pressed, but you can ask any reproducer how it's done.
Cons: It can be VERY expensive. If you're already running everything through a board (even all the drums), that mitigates the expense somewhat, but you still need to pay an engineer, pay for the recording equipment, negotiate with the club, and the like . If you're just setting up mikes in the audience, beware that your tape will be much lower quality than a studio recording.
Bottom line (author's opinion): Save it for when you've got a label to pay for and arrange it.
Some studios offer package plans. Make sure you understand EXACTLY what that cost includes and don't sign ANY contract without taking it to a lawyer. Don't give up the rights to your music unless you're sure you know what you're doing.
There are lots of factors involved. How serious of a project is it? Is it something to go in record stores, or to get gigs? Are you making CD's? (CD's take longer to reproduce.) How much of a perfectionist are you? How competent is the engineer?
Really, though, recording is a test of a band. If you can't stand to work together on something you all agree on, how will you handle living with everybody on tour for 9 months?
One of the most surprising things for the author is what happened AFTER the recording. Once something is down on tape, and "done," it's human nature to reflect on everything that's led up to that point. Practices may not seem as fun, and it may feel like there's something missing. I felt like we were plateauing badly. The solution to that? Two things: write more songs, and record more. :)
It's generally a bad idea to have a band member's significant other (boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, dog, parakeet) as a producer unless they're a professional.
It's better to record fewer, better songs than to record more, crappier songs. You may not want to admit it, but we ALL write crappy songs (some more than others).
Record songs that are fun to play. You're probably gonna end up playing them a lot.
Record a variety of songs. If you've got some hip-hop, some metal, some pop, and some country songs, maybe pick the best songs of each type. Critics are very unfriendly to bands whose recorded music "all sounds the same."
For guitarists, I'd suggest an amp (head and cab), a guitar, your basic effects, and enough cables to put everything together. It's been my experience that studios have spares for most stuff that can fail. They probably also have better effects than your Crap-o-Tron flanger, too. Bring spare tubes, though.
Bass, for a demo project, is usually recorded directly into the board, so there's no need to bring an amp.
Drums can sometimes be provided by the studio, unless you're so totally in love with your kit that you can't play anything else.
Singers should bring a big bottle of whisky. (Just kidding.)
The most important preparation to do is of the music. You're paying for studio time; it's cheaper to make sure everything's ready beforehand. Practice time is free, or close to it. Use it. Practice the songs over and over, until everyone could play their part backwards and in their sleep.
One thing that worked well was deconstruction. We'd play a song a couple of times, then break it down into parts. First, just drums and rhythm guitar, then drums and bass, then rhythm guitar and lead guitar, then rhythm guitar and bass, etc. After everyone was set, we'd bring everyone back in and play it a couple more times.
If there are going to be any changes to the arrangement, sounds, or lyrics, now is the time to make them. (Speaking in general terms, of course; being in the studio gives a new atmosphere that naturally changes the music somewhat.)
Get your gear in shape. New strings, drum heads, tubes, or anything else you might need. Get the guitars and bass set up. Get the piano tuned. Fix the zither. (What exactly is a zither, anyways?)
Most bands take the incremental route. The most important track (several tracks, actually) is the drum track, so it's imperative that it be flawless. Doing it as a "build-up," the drum track is tackled first, either with one or two other musicians or the whole band playing along. Once the drum track is perfect (or acceptable, depending on the budget), the bass track is laid down to complete the rhythm section, and the other tracks are overdubbed, building up the finished track. Generally, vocals are laid down as the last major track, then atmospherics like tambourine or backing vocals.
Electric guitars are miked at the speaker, or run through a direct box. (A direct box takes a guitar signal or an amp's speaker output and bring it up to the level of the mixing board.) Same gig for bass. Acoustic instruments are miked in a soundproof booth.
The mikes, or direct boxes, are run to a big mixing board, 16, 24, or 32 channels wide, maybe more for bigger studios.
The engineer handles the "monitor mix" -- the mix used for the monitor headphones. It's not the same mix that's actually laid down to tape, however; that's mixed according to the dynamic range of each instrument. Monitoring is generally done with headphones, and the mix is also piped through speakers in the control booth.
There are two kinds of recording, analog and digital. Analog is laid down on big (1" or 1-1/2") tape, which records 16 or 24 channels. Digital is laid down on similar tape (for the expensive studios) or ADAT. ADAT (Alesis Digital Audio Tape) is recorded on special VHS videocassettes that hold 8 tracks of CD-quality digital audio. Both can be used simultaneously, if they're synchronized. They get synchronized with SMPTE, a time-coding scheme that gets recorded on one analog track. (SMPTE stands for the Society of Motion Picture Technicians and Engineers, I think. It's pronouced "simpte.")
Expect to have to overdub lots of things. Remember, this is your chance to get it right; you'll be hearing that one flubbed note over and over again. (See the "Mixing" section for more on that. :)
Do have backup instruments.
Do be nice to the engineer.
Do bring snacks and water.
Do avoid dehydrating drinks (beer, coffee, Coke) if you're
singing.
Most importantly, do observe the rules that the studio has in
place. Most studios are nonsmoking, so you'll just have to smoke
outside on breaks. If there's a big sign in the control booth that
says "No Drinks on the Console", pay attention. Mixing consoles are
expensive, and you don't want to have to pay for that too. Drugs
(even pot) are generally a no-no, whether or not there's an
explicit rule in place.
If nothing else, you can always overdub it again later. Chances are, after hearing it a bunch of times the way you want it, they'll come to accept it as part of the song.
A song is mixed the same way it was recorded; drums first, then bass, then everything else, with vocals last. Each track gets its particular sound down, effects are added at the board, and general levels are set. Once the sound of each track is dialed in, the whole song is run through to listen for any places where special mixing attention is needed.
Once everything's set, the mixing engineer does a "dry run", running the entire song through with all the settings and all the tweaks. Finally, the DAT is positioned and the engineer runs it for the final mix.
Some studios have automated mixing consoles that handle the tweaks with no intervention from the engineer. (I think these are really keen. You get to watch the sliders and knobs move by themselves!)
My guidelines: For a first project, a demo, anything under 9 songs, or a shoestring, do tapes. For everthing else, if you can afford it, do CD's. They carry more prestige, last longer, and sound better.
A run of 100 tapes costs about $250 from a reputable, quality duplicator. J-cards are extra.
The glass master for a CD costs about $500, less if you're getting duplication from the same company. CDs cost $1-$2 apiece, depending on the quality. Jewel cases, inserts, and backcards are extra.
Most duplicators offer package deals where they'll master, duplicate, and provide printed material for one price. Most include shrink-wrapping.
If you'll be distributing your product in record stores, you'll need a UPC code. I understand that they cost about $300 to register, then you need to pay for them to be printed. (Or you can include it on the backcard or J-card.)